1. Terrell Owens' persona might overshadow his declining skills. T.O. is such an industry of his own — reality TV show, heartfelt tweets and other assorted look-at-me moments — that it's easy to forget that Owens is in the fourth quarter of his career as an elite NFL receiver. That Owens' streak of games with a catch was snapped at 185 — two days after being profiled as the cover subject for a certain national newspaper — was a reminder that his skills aren't what they used to be. As much as his departure from Dallas might have been fueled by chemistry issues, it is also apparent that Owens doesn't separate as easily from coverage and drops way more passes than he did when he burned up the NFL a few years ago as arguably the game's most complete receiver.

2. It's still a what-are-you-doing-for-me-now type of league. Guess it's time to recount the votes from two of the NFL's summer quarterback controversies, with Byron Leftwich already getting the hook with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Brady Quinn poised to take a seat again on the Cleveland Browns bench. Leftwich's prospects for a long-term grasp on the job seemed tenuous from the start, with the Bucs drafting Josh Freeman in the first round. It couldn't help that O-coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski was relieved just 10 days before the opener, considering the timing and continuity. The 24-0 loss to the Giants, though, when Leftwich was benched for next-in-line starter Josh Johnson, left new coach Raheem Morris backtracking on his summer move with Leftwich. Now it's the mobility of second-year pro Johnson that is most appealing for a unit seeking a spark. As for Quinn, the prospects for a move suggests something beyond his performance. Browns coach Eric Mangini declared a few weeks ago as Quinn and Derek Anderson battled, that he would not flip-flop on his quarterback. Now it appears he's ready to reverse course. Then there's Seattle kicker Olindo Mare, dressed down by coach Jim Mora after missing two field goals against the Bears. Short string, indeed.

3. The Titans need a returner. Rookie Ryan Mouton's two giveaways against the Jets — first on a kick return, then after attempting an over-the-shoulder catch on a punt in the rain — set up two New York touchdowns in a gut-wrenching 24-17 loss. Tennessee was in a throwback mode, wearing old Houston Oilers uniforms, which prompts a flashback query: Whatever happened to Billy "White Shoes" Johnson? The Titans banked on rookies Mouton and Javon Ringer for returns, but at 0-3 — already matching last season's loss total — they are in the market for a pair of sure hands.

4. Michael Vick is still knocking the rust off. The Eagles' quarterback-in-rebound wasn't particularly sharp in his first regular-season game since December 2006. He missed on his only two passes, rushed for 11 yards and primarily was a decoy in getting 11 plays in the victory against the Chiefs. But it's way too early to write him off as an afterthought. To paraphrase a certain commissioner, it's a "step" process. One game with limited action does not a comeback make. Still, the concerns expressed by soon-to-return starting quarterback Donovan McNabb about how Eagles' adjustment to increased Wildcat features might disrupt the rhythm of the offense are worth noting.

5. Tony Romo's troubles are nothing, compared to the woes of Jake Delhomme. After a week of intense criticism following his three-pick performance against the Giants, the Cowboys quarterback rebounded with a solid, minimal-mistake outing in the Monday night victory against Carolina. For the other quarterback in the game, there was no reprieve. Delhomme threw two more interceptions, including a pick-six to Terence Newman that decided the outcome — one that Panthers receiver Steve Smith insists was his fault for breaking off the route — and suggests that his slump is hardly over. The ESPN analysts on Monday night maintained that Delhomme is an elite quarterback weathering a tough storm. The stats say otherwise: Only Oakland's Jamarcus Russell has a lower passing rating than Delhomme (54.3), who has thrown an NFL-high seven picks in three games.

THE AWARDS

• Stud of the week: Brett Favre. Just classic. In his regular-season home debut for the Vikings, the 39-year-old graybeard showed exactly why Minnesota made such a passionate play to lure him out of retirement with a 32-yard TD dart to Greg Lewis with 2 seconds remaining. The magical moment was Favre's 43rd career fourth-quarter comeback victory. Vikings fans can only hope he'll still have such laser-like throws in the fourth quarter of the season.

• Defensive player of the week: David Harris. The Jets linebacker came up with two huge fourth-quarter plays that helped slam the door on the Titans — an interception, returned 14 yards, that snuffed out a scoring threat and a sack for 8 yards before the 2-minute warning that left Tennessee facing third-and-23. He also tallied five tackles, a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup.

• Special teamer of the week: Brian Moorman. The Bills punter, one of the league's best, executed a fake field goal with aplomb to produce a second-quarter tie with the Saints. He took the snap as the holder and while pressured fired a 25-yard TD pass to defensive end Ryan Denney. It was Moorman's second career TD.

• Rookie of the week: Matthew Stafford. The Lions quarterback, drafted No. 1 overall, surely won't forget his first NFL victory with the bigger milestone being his franchise's ability to snap a 19-game losing streak. Stafford passed for 241 yards and directed three scoring drives of at least 85 yards — including a 99-yarder after a goal-line stand that was capped by a 21-yard TD pass to Bryant Johnson and an 86-yard field goal drive that beat the clock before halftime. Also impressive for the rook: Zero turnovers.

• Comeback player of the week: Pierre Thomas. The Saints running back, returning from a knee injury that had him inactive in Week 1 and limited snaps in Week 2, rushed for 126 yards on 14 carries, including 34- and 19-yard TDs in the fourth quarter that helped put away Buffalo.

• Unsung hero of the week: Melvin Bullitt. The third-year Colts safety, filling in for the injured Bob Sanders, forced a Tim Hightower fumble inside the 10-yard line with a perfect helmet-on-football hit in the second quarter. Then just before the half, his tackle on an airborne Steve Breaston at the goal line prevented a TD — leading to Antoine Bethea's end zone interception on the following play.

• This week's surprise: Besides the obvious shock value of the Detroit Lions' first victory in 20 games, the Bengals have served notice that they are to be reckoned with. The comeback victory against the Steelers— which snapped an eight-game home losing streak to their A-North rival — improved Cincinnati's record to 2-1. And had they not allowed the Brandon Stokley miracle TD in Week 1, the Bengals would be 3-0. By the same token, they flirted with a last-minute meltdown at Green Bay, so it's also a could've-been 0-3. Bottom line: Marvin Lewis has his team competing again.

• This week's genius: Josh McDaniels. Look who's 3-0. The Broncos are undefeated, which is among the NFL's biggest surprises considering issues that led to the offseason trade of Jay Cutler and preseason suspension of Brandon Marshall. Bill Belichick's former offensive coordinator also gets points for the early-season performance his defense, coordinated by Mike Nolan. Denver has allowed just 16 points, fewest after three games in franchise history.

• Bonehead blunder of the week: Jim Zorn. The Redskins coach was the subject of scorn and ridicule before his team lost to the Lions, but the setback in Motown only racheted up the heat. His decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 early in the game backfired —Clinton Portis was stuffed for no gain — as Detroit responded with a 99-yard TD drive. Even worse, though, was the play-calling during the desperate final few seconds when the Redskins were in striking range at the Lions' 34-yard line — and never had Jason Campbell throw the ball to the end zone.

• Did you notice? The worst-ranked Texans run defense was shredded again, this time by Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew, who gained 119 yards on 23 carries. Houston, apparently having trouble adjusting to new coordinator Frank Bush's schemes, has been stung for 190, 240 and now 184 yards on the ground this season.

• Stat of the week: Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb passed for 327 yards (two TDs, 0 INTs) against the Chiefs to become the first quarterback in NFL history to top 300 yards in each of his first two starts.

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